Autumn Leaves
by Amaira'sQuill
Summary: Lily is attending Hogwarts where she meets a mysterious boy who helps her break down her walls and discover herself. Follow her journey as she comes to peace with her past but falls in love with an auror. James is an undercover agent whose mission goes wrong when he falls in love with a red haired girl. First fanfic. AU. Undercover!James
1. Prologue

**Diclaimer- I do not own Harry Potter.**

**Prologue**

_Lily slowly let out a sigh, her breath forming a fog cloud in the cold winter night. Somewhere above her an owl hooted, there must be other wizards nearby, Lily mused. She huddled her cloak closer to herself and kept trudging on into the dingy alley with her boots making clicking noise on the pavement. Absent-mindedly she rubbed her hands together to keep them from freezing. Her destination was not easy to miss. The pub had a flashy board which was visible from afar as it stood out in the muggle alleyway which was otherwise devoid of any light. A few drunk men were walking aimlessly in the long alley and started wolf whistling as they saw her approach. She cursed under her breath at the unwanted attention and continued walking in the direction of the pub. Her brain was preoccupied with other pressing matters to give a second thought to these drunken men._

_Lily recalled receiving an owl yesterday at the stroke of midnight. She had been sleeping at that time and had been aroused from her sleep by the small barn owl pecking rhythmically at her window. She sat up on her bed to turn on the lamp by her bed side, moving her sleeping cat in the process and earning a hiss for waking up the slumbering feline. Lily stifled a yawn and rubbed her eyes in a failed attempt to rub away the sleep. The ginger cat now watched Lily with interest, its tail now swinging in the air while it crouched on Lily's bed. "meow" it cried for Lily's attention._

_Still in a dozed state Lily sluggishly walked over to the window and lifted up the window pane to let the owl in. With a swooshing motion the owl flew inside also bringing with it the cold night air causing Lily to shiver. The owl dropped the letter it held in its claws and was out of the window even before Lily could offer it something to eat. Lily watched as the owl became a small peck in the distance and soon disappeared in the night sky as the darkness engulfed it. Lily closed the window and turned to pick up the letter. With tender hands she slowly opened the letter. Lily had expected the letter to be from one of her old school friends, instead the letter was written in a neat cursive hand which as foreign to Lily. In her sleepy state Lily gave the letter a disinterested glance and decided to read it tomorrow but a certain word sprawled across the letter caught her attention._

_"__James," she breathed out as the remaining sleep washed out of her eyes. Lily stood there in her bedroom feeling more alone than ever. Now fully awake Lily pushed down the bile rising in her stomach and started reading the letter. The letter wasn't very informative, it only gave her brief instructions to come to Joseph's pub the next day at 11 pm and said that all her questions about James would be answered there. The writer of the letter warned her not to be late and not to bring any company along with her or she'll miss her chance. With shaking hands Lily finished reading the letter and scrunched up her nose when she noticed that the letter wasn't signed by anyone._

_Lily sat on her bed for another half an hour pondering whether she should go to the pub tomorrow or not. Lily faintly remembered that pub, it stood in an alley 2 blocks from her house. Lily crossed it every day on her route to work but had never bothered visiting it as it appeared to have a dark aura about it. These were dark times and roaming around in shady places could be dangerous for muggleborns like herself. For all Lily knew the letter was a hoax from the death eaters to bring her out on her own. Thus making her an easy target. After all the letter was an anonymous summon to a pub at night, Lily justified herself. _

_Lily hadn't realised that she was unconsciously playing with the necklace James had given her. She let out a breath that she hadn't realised she was holding. It had been five month since she had last seen James or heard from him. It was almost like he had disappeared off the face of earth. Lily made up her mind, she had to go to the pub, she was in desperate need for answers and this was the only lead she had found on James in a very long time._

_Lily snapped back from her memories of last night and hurried towards her destination, before she could rethink the situation and turn back; never to return. These last few hours had been very conflicting and agonising for Lily. She hadn't been able to concentrate on her work today at the Leaky Cauldron and had only done a half shift to come home early. Once home she half-heartedly made herself a dinner which she ended up not eating as she didn't feel hungry any more. For hours she tried to engage herself but failed miserably. Even her cat Mr. Fuzzmeister who was continuously rolling and pouncing around her was not able to distract Lily from the situation she was in. Lily mused that the cat could feel her sadness and was trying to cheer her up. Lily gave her cat a sad smile and rubbed its belly thanking it for its efforts to cheer her up. Finally as the clock struck quarter to eleven she picked up her cloak, locked her house and left for the pub._

_Lily hadn't realised that she had reached the entrance to the pub. The pub had an old wooden door as its entrance. Lily wondered how old the pub was. Lily kept a shaking hand on the bronze knob of the pub, she had a war going on inside her head, and even now she was debating going in or not. Calling onto all the courage she had Lily twisted the door knob and pushed open the gate of the pub. As she entered the pub loud music greeted her ears. She looked around the new place which was unfamiliar to her. The insides of the pub was warm but there was a tinge of alcohol and sweat that hung in the air. Lily noticed a bar towards her left. Dim lights adorned the place leaving dark shadows everywhere inside the pub. Before Lily could adjust to the lighting the door opened again and a man whose face was covered in a hood entered the pub. Lily was pushed further into the pub._

_Feeling clueless and not knowing what to do Lily started walking towards the bar. As she made her way between the scattered tables she noticed everyone in the bar had their faces partially or fully covered in their hoods. Lily felt a blush climb onto her cheeks as she realised that she had forgotten to pull up her hood and her red hair was strikingly visible in the dull and dusty ambience of the pub. Towards the end of the bar a table was occupied by a large group of people who were noisily clanging their glasses and were howling with laughter. The other occupants were subtly ignoring the group and were busy in their individual chatter. This wasn't a family pub. People only came here to gamble or to discuss stuff which could otherwise not be discussed in the open._

_Timidly Lily pulled out a stool near the bar and sat on it. A gruff looking man was standing behind the bar and was busy scrubbing a stain. He stopped his scrubbing when he heard her sit down, looked at Lily and waited for her order. Not being a frequent visitor to muggle bars Lily ordered a random muggle drink. Lily checked her watch, it was eleven o'clock but she had no idea who she was looking for, so Lily decided to wait. Lily kept sitting patiently and sipping on her drink. New people entered and previous occupants left. Time ticked by and no one approached her. Men who were previously looking at the lonely girl from afar had started approaching her and asking her to have a drink with them. Lily politely declined all of them. Lily was of age and could handle herself. She wasn't scared of these men._

_Lily was starting to regret her decision to come here. She was already five drinks down and was now on her sixth one. The muggle drinks were strong yet nothing could compare to a glass of firewhiskey. Her head had started buzzing from all the alcohol that she had consumed a long time back. Usually lily had a tendency to maintain her senses but today she wanted to dull all the pain she had been feeling for the past five months since James disappeared. She felt dejected and naïve coming here on her own but she couldn't help it. She would wait the entire night if it would take her a step closer to James._

_While Lily was busy staring around the pub passively she felt the touch of a soft yet firm hand on her shoulder. She turned around only to be greeted by bright hazel eyes and freckles. Lily moved back into her seat to look at the owner of the hand completely. Lily observed that the girl appeared a few years older than herself and had an air of danger around her. A plain black dress was visible from under the girl's cloak. Her blonde hair was falling on her face but she pushed them aside and gestured for Lily to follow. As the girl turned to move Lily noticed a wand poking out from her boots and could feel her own wand poking into her ribs under her cloak. Not knowing what to do Lily walked behind her towards the back corner of the pub and followed her as she slid into an empty booth._

_"__I'm Marlene" she said extending out her hand to shake with Lily. Lily noticed that her otherwise smooth arm had a nasty scar running down the palm. From its pinking appearance she guessed that the scar wasn't very old and was recently acquired. Lily held her hand gingerly not knowing whether to trust this girl or not. Ignoring Lily's discomfort Marlene continued "I'm glad you could make it here on time." At this Lily scoffed as it was way past midnight. Lily's reaction was not missed by Marlene, but she merely shrugged and mumbled under her breath about being occupied with other things._

_A waitress approached their table and Marlene ordered two drinks, one for herself and one for Lily. Lily could feel someone's eyes poking into her back and turned around just in time to see a hooded figure put his face down. The man who had entered the pub right after Lily was seated diagonally to them. His face was covered in a dark robe and a glass of whiskey sat on his table untouched. Lily scoffed at his failed attempt to hide the fact that he had been staring at her. Ignoring the man Lily focused on Marlene._

_"__How do you know James?" Lily asked impatiently in an urgent whisper._

_Until now Marlene had a smirk on her face and a sense of superiority to her. But at Lily's question she seemed to hesitate and her smirk seemed to disappear for a second. She quickly recovered before replying proudly "I am his colleague."_

_"__His colleague?" Lily repeated, unable to comprehend what she was saying, "You're an auror too then? James never talked much about his job." Seeing her confused expression Marlene smiled at Lily, though something about her smile didn't feel right. It never reached her eyes. Lily pushed the thought aside. This meeting was about finding James, not to socialize and make friends._

_Marlene seemed to think for a second before replying "Well it's a complicated situation and it's not my position to disclose information about his job. I am just here to give you an important message"_

_"__And that is?" Lily inquired impatiently now shifting in her seat._

_"__Well," she continued in a tone as if Lily was an annoying child that was taking her time" James is alive and good, but I do not want you to go looking after him. These are dangerous times for people like you. It's best if you hide yourself in the safety of your house. He's not coming back for you. Its best you leave him in your past and move on. He's not the person you think he is."_

_"__Excuse me? How can I just leave him and move on? I haven't heard from him for five months, its driving me insane. I know James. He can't just leave me and disappear like that!" Lily exclaimed. Until now she had been whispering but her voice rose as she couldn't handle it anymore. Somewhere in the background a man was howling with laughter and Lily could still feel the hooded man looking curiously at her. This place was driving her insane. _

_"__Oh Lily, aren't you naïve? He was never yours in the first place. You were just another fling for him. What do you even know about him? Do you know about his history or who he was before he met you?" Marlene lashed out._

_Lily blinked back the tears that were starting to form in her eyes "Is that why you called me here then? Just to tell me that James didn't even care for me?" her voice faltered as she said the last three words. She clenched her fists and continued" I don't care what comes into my way but I'm going to find James even if that's the last thing I do" She turned away from Marlene before she could see the tears falling from Lily's eyes and started making her way towards the exit of the bar._

_Once outside Lily brushed back her tears with her hand and started walking towards her house. She cursed herself for coming here tonight. She was feeling tipsy from all the drinks she'd had and the meeting with Marlene only left her feeling dejected. She missed James. She struggled to walk straight as her head as spinning and tears blinded her eyes. She stopped walking and kept a hand on the wall of the narrow alley for support. In the last two years Lily had suffered and lost a lot to the war and James had kept her grounded. She couldn't lose him too. No, she refused to go down without a fight._

_"_He's not coming back for you. Its best you leave him in your past and move on_." Marlene's words still rang in Lily's head" _He's not the person you think he is_." Marlene was right, Lily realised with a gasp. She hardly knew who James was before they met. He would always avoid questions about his past and give her the vaguest answers. Lily held back a sniffle, she could not cry right now, not tonight. Lily needed to be strong for him, for them. He could be dead for all she knew. But she had to find him. The only question was how?_

_Lily was occupied in her personal misery that she didn't notice that the alley which was previously occupied by men was now deserted and silent except for her small sobs and the sound of another set of boots behind her. She didn't realise that someone had been following her. Before she could register the current situation, a strong hand come up from behind and pressed onto her mouth, preventing her from screaming. Only a low muffled noise escaped her mouth before she inhaled a strong sweet smell and her vision became to blur._

_Lily tried to reach for her wand but it seemed to slip from her fingers. She started to panic and her green eyes locked with a pair of hazel eyes for the second time that day, but these did not belong to Marlene. She could have recognized those pair of eyes anywhere even after not seeing them for five months._

_"__James" she whispered as her vision went black. Her escapade was worth it after all._

* * *

**AN: This is my first fanfiction, so naturally I'm new to writing and would have many noticeable flaws; but practice makes us perfect, right? I wouldn't ask for reviews, it is your wish, but if you do review I'll be more than glad and would appreciate your effort.**

**Lily and James might appear a bit out of their usual character but I want them to develop their personality as the story progresses rather than simply show them as what J.K. Rowling did. I want them to go out there and discover themselves on their journey together and fight the ghosts of their respective past.**


	2. Chapter 1

The secret to a rich life is to have more beginnings than endings. - Dave Weinbaum

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Lily patiently sat in her transfiguration class trying to focus on what professor McGonagall was teaching them. Lily admitted to herself that even though she had some skill in transfiguration, she wasn't the brightest student when it came to this subject. Lily had barely managed to acquire an Exceeds Expectation in her transfiguration O.W.L. even after all the effort she had put into the subject.

Lily and her friend Michael would spend hours in the library hunched over books and parchments whispering in low voices, trying to remember the said subject until Madam Prince would finally throw them out at night. Even after being thrown out the two students would not get dejected but would simply carry their books back to the Gryffindor common room and continue their studies late into the night.

Only a handful of students in their year attained the required criteria to take transfiguration for their Newt level and Lily could gladly say that her efforts weren't wasted as she was one of them.

December had finally rolled in and the sixth year students were slowly starting to adjust to the increasing pressure of their syllabus.

On this very Thursday morning the sixth year Gryffindor students had their last transfiguration class before the Christmas break with Slytherin and Hufflepuff. Lily was sitting on the front desk near the window beside Michael. Sitting next to the window turned out to be a bad idea as Lily would easily get distracted by the students practising quidditch on the pitch, early in the morning.

After days of watching the December snow continuously fall, a bright morning was greeted happily by all the Hogwarts students, especially Lily. Lily couldn't wait for the class to get over and run away to the grounds. Luckily at that moment Michael noticed the pensive expression on Lily's face and nudged her lightly, bringing her attention back to the class.

Lily cursed under her breath to allow her mind to wander like that. She couldn't let herself lag behind in studies. With a more determined expression, she fiercely started noting down the instructions professor McGonagall had written on the board. With a strong will power Lily successfully maintained her attention on the lecture for the rest of the class.

When the class got over Lily neatly rolled up her parchments and kept them in her bag along with all her quills. Students had already started leaving the class. Lily nudged Michael to hurry up, she was starting to get impatient. As soon as he was done closing his bag, without saying anything Lily held him by his hand and pulled him outside the class.

"Woah Lily, aren't you in a hurry?" he mused light heartedly.

Beaming with joy, Lily pointed to the nearest window, "In case you haven't noticed, the weather is wonderful outside, Michael. It has stopped snowing and the sun is finally out. It would be a sin to rot inside the castle on a day like this."

Her eyes had a twinkle in them, something which Michael adored watching.

"You are not wearing your scarf or gloves and you know how easily you can catch a cold, Lils." He casually pointed out.

Lilly crossed her arms and pouted like a little child upon hearing that.

"I can take care of myself perfectly, thank you very much. And besides nothing would happen just by staying outside for a couple of hours. You really don't have to mother me around, Michael." Lily responded back and started dragging Michael towards the entrance hall.

Michael laughed at her acting like a stubborn little baby. He pulled out his own Gryffindor scarf from around his neck and placed it around Lily's, tucked it in slightly and whispered, "I wouldn't have to mother you around if you weren't such a baby."

Lily smiled at his reply and poked out her tongue at him jokingly. Michael only followed her steps as she made her way out of the entrance hall and on the fallen snow. Her small footsteps left a trail in the snow. Lily kept walking towards the lake and came to a sudden halt when she reached it.

Lily stretched out her hands in both directions, closed her eyes and tilted her head towards the direction of the sun. She was basking in the glory of the sun.

Michael stood by her side and watched his best friend. Rays of sunlight were falling on her face and he could see every detail of her face clearly. He noticed the way her nose was small and twitched slightly as she inhaled the fresh air. If he looked close enough he could see that there were tiny freckles on her otherwise smooth cheeks. Her skin was beautiful and light like ivory.

Behind her Hogwarts stood tall in its full glory; the tall towers, the roof and surrounding ground were all covered in white glistening snow. It was a breath-taking view but it was nothing compared to the innocence of the girl in from him. Lily Evans was truly beautiful, he thought to himself.

Disturbing the silence that had settled around them he said," You know, I don't say this often but I am probably the luckiest person alive to have you as my best friend."

Lily opened her eyes and looked at her best friend and gave him the biggest smile in the world, one which she had reserved only for him. She tugged at his sleeves and said "I want to go meet Hagrid before the Christmas break starts."

Michael nodded. This time he led the path and Lily followed behind him as the two friends walked up to the half giant's hut. Michael knocked on the door and waited. After some rustling from inside and a very prominent clatter of a falling utensil the door to the hut opened and Hagrid stood there. A warm smile spread on his face as he noticed the two standing at his front door.

"Lily and Michael, always a pleasure." Hagrid beamed at them "Make yerselves at home."

"Hi Hagrid." the two students replied in unison as they entered the hut.

"Bin a while since you lot came ter visit me. Thought you 'ad almost forgotten me." Hagrid said as he placed a kettle for boiling.

"Never Hagrid, we can never forget you. We just got a little side tracked by all the work the sixth year students are being loaded with." Lily replied sheepishly.

"No worries, Lily. Are ye both staying in Hogwarts ov'r the Christmas break?"

"Not this time Hagrid, I would be going home. Mum probably needs my support with all the campaigning going on." Michael said.

"Campaigning yeh say?"

"Mum is standing for the minister of magic. But honestly; I do not like the idea one bit." Said Michael bitterly. "When people hear that my mum is contesting, they just start treating me differently, start giving me more attention. It's not fair, its pure bigotry."

"I know you don't like it, Michael, but we need a strong lady like your mother to run the ministry. Millicent Bagnold can change the course of this war for better. Besides you could always come visit me in the Christmas break if you want." Lily said keeping a tender hand on his shoulder.

"Sure, I will come over Lily. I wonder if she will even realise that I am absent with all that work keeping her busy."

"What about you, Lily? Any plans fer Christmas?" Hagrid asked.

Lily twirled a strand of red hair around her finger that had come out loose from her otherwise tight pony tail. "I might go visit home if I get time, it has been a while since I last visited. Though I was also thinking of starting as a part time at the Leaky Cauldron during the Christmas break."

"Aren't you too young ter be serving at a bar, Lily? Yer not even of age yet. Tom would not allow you to work there."

"It's not a big deal, Hagrid. I've been working as a part time at muggle shops for a while now. Besides its Christmas time and I am sure Tom wouldn't say no to an extra helping hand."

Hagrid looked at her uncertainly but didn't push her further.

The kettle gave a low whistle and Hagrid got up to serve them tea. He poured the tea and handed it over to Lily and Michael along with his famous rock cakes.

"What about you Hagrid? Going on an adventure, are you?" Michael joked upon noticing the travel bags kept near Hagrid's bed.

"Some private work Professor Dumbledore asked me ter do." Hagrid beamed.

A silence settled over their little party as they sat there quietly sipping on their tea, but it wasn't an awkward silence that would make anyone fidget in their seats, instead it was a calming silence, one that the three secretly appreciated as they sat pondering about their own thoughts.

Lily and Michael quickly finished drinking their tea but left the rock cakes untouched. They had learned from experience that Hagrid's rock cakes were hard enough to break ones teeth with a single bite.

Soon Lily and Michael got up, thanked Hagrid for the tea and left to have lunch in the great hall.

The great hall was already filled by the time Lily and Michael entered. Students were sitting on the tables of their respective houses and talking amongst themselves. The teachers, who were seated on a table on the opposite side were also talking contently amongst themselves. Professor Flitwick had put up Christmas trees along the walls of the great hall with Hagrid's help and had them decorated with little pixies and Christmas socks. Each tree was tall enough to tower over a troll and had a shining golden star placed on its peak.

Lily and Michael walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat down next to Emmeline Vance and Mary McDonald, who were busy talking about something in hushed voices and giggling together. Seeing Lily and Michael sit down, Mary hushed Emmeline while a prominent blush crept on to her face.

"Hey Michael!" Mary said with a coy smile as she made a flirtatious attempt of keeping her hand on Michael's shoulder, who merely shrugged it off.

"Hello, McDonald. Vance." Michael nodded in their direction and politely said. "Please do continue your talk, let us not disturb you."

"You're never a disturbance. In fact, we were just talking about you. Have you picked a date for Slughorn's Christmas party yet?"

Lily rolled her eyes upon hearing Mary McDonald trying to flirt with her friend, and decided to intervene. "Michael has other plans, he won't be able to attend the Christmas party this year." Then turning to Michael she said, "Have you finished the potions essay that Slughorn gave us?"

Michael silently thanked Lily for changing the topic. But alas, her attempt was a failed one.

"Oh, look who is here, Slughorn's little prodigy. I almost didn't notice you there, Lily." Sneered Mary.

"Finally noticed me then, Mary? Not like I'm in most of your classes and share a dormitory with you." Lily said sarcastically.

"Lily, I suggest you leave us alone for a while and go. We will be a better company for Michael."

Feeling insulted, Lily got up from the table before Michael could make an attempt to stop her. She hung her bag on her shoulder and walked out of the great hall towards the library, leaving her lunch half finished. She clenched her fists tightly.

'Bloody Hell! What did that girl think of herself?' Lily cursed under her breath for losing her temper so easily. Still she was thankful that she had left the great hall on time, because she would've surely hexed Mary had she stayed any longer.

Reaching the library, Lily pushed the anger out of her mind and started to work on her essay. The essay was a long one and took most of her afternoon. So, Lily let out a grateful sigh as she finally completed writing it. Potion books were scattered all around her.

They were supposed to submit an essay on the potion 'Draught of Living Death' and Lily had written an extra foot in her assignment. This potion was more risky than the ones they had made in prior classes. Not only was it tricky to make but also could be misused easily if fallen into the wrong hands.

Lily pilled back all the books she had taken out in the right order on their correct shelf, left the library and went up to her dorm to pack her luggage for the train to kings cross that night. As luck would have it both her roommates, Vance and McDonald, were present there at that time. The two girls gave Lily a cold shoulder and did not attempt making any conversation with her, for which Lily was silently grateful, as after the day's incident she was in no mood of sweet talking with the two. So Lily silently finished packing her bag, levitated it to the base of the common room and kept her bag neatly on the increasing heap of bags which belonged to the students returning home for the holidays.

That night after the students finished having their dinner they left for the Hogsmeade station where the Hogwarts express was waiting for them. Even at night, the train looked majestic. The light from the nearby street lamps was softly falling on it, highlighting the bright red colour of the train. One by one the students started boarding the Hogwarts express.

Lily and Michael walked towards the end of the train and successfully found an empty compartment. The two went inside and made themselves comfortable. Lily's little ginger cat Buckminster-fullerene stretched with grace before relaxing itself on her lap. In an absent minded motion Lily started scratching the cat behind its ears, who let out a soft contented purr.

The Hogwarts express led out a sharp whistle, gave a sudden jerk and started moving. Lily looked out of her window and watched as the train pulled out of the station. Soon the lights of Hogsmeade became tiny pecks in the distance as the train started gaining speed.

"What are you thinking, Lily?" inquired Michael.

"Nothing. Just zoned out a bit."

"I know you, Lily. You're worried about something. I can always tell."

"_You're_ worrying for no reason. Everything is fine." Lily gave him a reassuring smile but it was of no use, Michael could always see through her lies.

"Then why aren't you going home Lily? I didn't want to ask in front of Hagrid, didn't want to worry him but what are you avoiding?"

Lily fidgeted in her seat at being caught.

"I'm scared of going home" Lily replied in a small voice.

"Why?"

"I'm a mugleborn, sooner or later they are bound to come for me. I want to keep my family safe, not bring the war to their doorstep. I am scared to my bones" Lily said with a shaky voice.

Michael didn't have to ask who _they_ were. He understood that Lily was talking about the death eaters.

"Shh…don't be scared, nothing would happen to them. They will be alright." he promised her while embracing her in his arms. He rocked her back and forth until they both fell asleep.

Next morning Lily woke up as the first rays of light hit the horizon. She had a hectic day ahead of herself. She had to find herself a job and also look for a room for rent. After Michael pointed out that her heavy luggage would only hinder her from moving around easily, she transfigured her school trunk into a simple hand bag. She finished performing her spell just as the Hogwarts express pulled into the station.

After a quick good bye to Michael and her other classmates Lily hailed a cab. She gave the directions to the cab driver and asked him to stop a few meters before the Leaky Cauldron. To the muggle driver the famous pub looked like an old warehouse which was not in use. Getting out of the cab, Lily paid the driver and entered the famous pub.

The sight that greeted her was not the one she had expected. The famous pub was devoid of many customers. She looked around and saw Tom, the owner of the pub, standing behind the bar and walked up to him.

"How can I help you, Pumpkin?" tom asked giving Lily a toothed grin.

"Umm...Are there any job vacancies? I would like to apply as a part time for two weeks." Lily asked nervously as his grin disappeared into a frown. She would have to go home to cokeworth if he said no.

"Isn't two weeks a very short time, pumpkin?"

"I know it is, but I need the money for rent" Lily pleaded giving her best puppy face.

"Agh-sure, sure. Don't give me the damsel in distress" he grumbled under his breath but agreed reluctantly.

"Can you wait tables?"

"Yes, I've got experience with that"

"Good, you start tomorrow then. Don't be late."

Satisfied Lily nodded and left to make her way to look for a flat in muggle London. By the end of the day she had found a perfect apartment for herself, only a few blocks away from the Leaky Cauldron. It was a small apartment though it made up with its large windows. It wasn't much but it was home.

* * *

Lily was standing behind the bar of Leaky Cauldron, biting on her lower lip thinking about the hectic day she had at work today. She kept filling up glasses after glasses of firewhisky, butterbeer and pumpkin juice and kept delivering them on the tables. When she wasn't delivering drinks to the tables she was busy delivering hot steaming food or cleaning the empty tables. All day she had been walking back and forth in the large pub taking orders and the result was now showing as her legs were starting to give up.

For a famous place, the Leaky Cauldron was rather very dingy and shabby, yet according to Lily it was the liveliest today amongst all the days that she had worked here. These were dark times and people usually avoided crowded areas. But today the otherwise empty bar was packed with families and friends sitting together, laughing and sharing old anecdotes. Lily knew the reason behind this crowd, it was the sheer magic of Christmas and people were coming into the pub in large numbers. Christmas had lifted the spirits of the magical folk forcing them to step out of their houses.

She had been working here for almost a week now and was starting to get used to working at the bar. Tonight all the tables in the Leaky Cauldron were occupied. As soon as someone left the bar, another visitor would occupy that vacant spot. Somewhere in the back corner a group of old ladies sat, sipping on small cups of sherry while discussing gossip from the latest issue of Witch Weekly. On another table a large family sat, where the young ones were laughing amongst themselves unaware of any tension while the adults were discussing about an auror raid in a nearby village which had become a base for the death eater activities. Lily could see the worried expressions on their faces and even heard small snippets of their talk while she went to take their order.

Just like these people Lily wasn't blinded by the pure innocence of her childhood; she knew that Voldemort and his forces were growing. She had an owl deliver her the daily prophet every day. Hardly a day passed by when the prophet did not report of a missing person or even worse, a dead one.

The death eaters were becoming bold in moving about more frequently and making their presence felt. Yet, Lily wondered, somehow all these people had put those worries aside for tonight. Every once in a while people deserved a break from the pressure of the slowly unfolding war.

Putting her focus back to her work Lily shifted her weight from one leg to another as picked up the four bottles of firewhisky from the bar and delivered it on a table occupied by a group of boys. They thanked her as she kept their bottles on the table. Lily replied with a simple smile and walked back towards the bar to pick up the next order.

Lily worked for another hour and her shift finally came to an end. She removed her apron, thankful that her shift was now over. A petite girl with blonde hair would carry on waitressing from here for the night shift. Lily vaguely remembered Tom referring to her as Becky. Lily handed the girl her apron and gave her a slight nod of acknowledgement.

However, at that very moment someone let out a horrifying scream behind her, Lily turned her head in that direction. The temperature seemed to drop considerably or so it seemed to Lily as a shiver ran down her back. All thoughts left her mind as she saw that death eaters in black robes had suddenly apparated in the leaky cauldron.

They seemed to be radiating fear in all directions. Within seconds the atmosphere of the pub changed. People were trying to disapparate in a hurry to get away from the wrath of the death eaters, but soon they discovered that the death eaters had set up anti-dissaparation spells on the pub. No one could escape. Lily watched as people started running around in all directions and trying to get cover under the tables. Some rushed towards the stairs which led to the first floor. Children were crying and shouting. People who were feeling merry a second before were now terrified as they waited for their fate. It felt as if time seemed to have stopped for a heartbeat. Lily screamed out as the first spell was shot but no body heard it in the chaos that ensued.

* * *

**AN: I have re-uploaded this chapter with certain changes. This chapter mainly revolves around Lily's life as a witch, putting emphasis on her friendship with Michael and the beginning of war. Again I would really appreciate if you spare a few seconds to review this story as it will definitely help me write my future chapters better.**


End file.
